Tell me about a time you were asked to collaborate on a project with a colleague you did not necessarily see eye-to-eye with. How did you ensure that you got along well and met your deadline?
Getting along with different personalities is especially vital in the workplace. Explain that you can be flexible and hear someone out even if you disagree with them. Showcase your ability to learn from others when you may not wholeheartedly agree with their perspective or approach.
"Recently, we received a project from a client that required my department to collaborate with a rival department within marketing. It was up to me to ensure that everyone worked smoothly together, and several of my team members indicated they were not excited about the opportunity.
The other department's manager and I decided to start with a team-building night out, and that helped a lot. I reminded my team before the event to put themselves in the shoes of the other team. They were able to show empathy and go into the event with an open mind, and the team-building event was a huge success for generating a 'one team' mindset. Once everyone was able to find common ground, we could focus on the task at hand."
"I had an issue with my manager a few years ago because we disagreed on the course of action to take on a project that was going sideways. The discussion started to heat up, so I quickly let her know that I thought it was best to think about our course of action overnight and book a formal meeting to discuss the challenges. We scheduled a meeting for the following day and were able to resolve the issue. In the end, she told me she appreciated my conflict management skills, my professional awareness, and personal maturity surrounding the situation."
Remember to demonstrate empathy within your response. Interviewers at Intel value candidates with the humility needed to consider and honor the position of the other party involved.
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
I had an issue with my PI this year because we disagreed on the consistency between theoretical and experimental results in magnetic fields. The discussion started to heat up, and the PI started blaming me for the procedure of the measurement that she suggested. However, I suspected the power supply to the super magnet which not ramping up and down uniformly after analyzing the PPMS log file. So I asked formal group meeting on the following to discuss the issues and measurements. After the discussion, she gave me the whole responsibility to talk about further troubleshooting and verify the issues with the help of the company and buy. On the next day, we order the new power supply and resolve the issue after 1 month. After I run the proper calibration of the device I started the measurements HC and MR and the results exactly matched with the theoretical model so that we were able to publish the results in renowned journals with noble physic of the material. She later complimented me on my dispute resolution abilities, professional knowledge, and personal maturity in the scenario.
Amanda's Feedback
This is a great example! You've shared what you disagreed about and the approach you took to resolve the conflict in a professional and peaceful manner. You've also provided a positive outcome and how your colleague responded to your approach.
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